I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for storing and transporting shelving. More specifically, the invention relates to a wheeled cart upon which a large number of shelves may be stacked at a first location, safely transported to a second location, and safely unstacked at the second location.
II. Related Art
Gondola-type shelving is used in retail stores throughout the world. A significant advantage of gondola-type shelving is that the shelving is modular in design allowing the shelving to be assembled in units ranging in width from as short as two to three feet to as long as a hundred feet or more. Another significant advantage is that the number of shelves in a particular section of the unit may be altered and the spacing between the shelves in a particular section of the unit may also be altered.
Still another advantage of gondola-type shelving is that a shelving unit and sections of the shelving unit may be quickly assembled and disassembled. This is important because time is of the essence when rearranging the shelves of a retail store. This work must typically be accomplished between the time a store closes in the evening and the time the store opens in the morning. When a store is open 24 hours per day, like many big box retail department stores such as those operated by Walmart or drug stores such as those operated by Walgreens, the task of disassembling, moving and reassembling shelving units must be accomplished when customers are in the store. Whether the shelving units are moved or reconfigured when customers are present or not, safety is an issue.
Significant safety concerns arise when the shelves of a gondola-type shelving unit are stacked and transported. Gondola-type shelves are not perfectly flat and when stacked they tend to be relatively unstable. The degree of instability increases with each shelf added to the stack. Stacks have been known to collapse, causing damage to the shelves and even bodily injury to workers or others adjacent the stack. This problem is particularly acute when the stack rests on a flat bed cart used to transport the stack of shelves. This problem is exacerbated by laborers trying to speed the process by stacking a larger number of shelves than they should or being careless when adding or removing shelves from a stack.